


Third Confrontation with Dad

by Stormlyht



Series: This Town That Loves Me [14]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Dad is, M/M, Stiles isn't ready for this conversation yet, This town loves Derek, coming clean, oh well, stiles not so much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-06
Updated: 2014-06-06
Packaged: 2018-02-03 16:15:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1750793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stormlyht/pseuds/Stormlyht
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the morning, Stiles' father is ready to talk to him about some things Stiles hasn't been telling him about.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Third Confrontation with Dad

**Author's Note:**

> OMG, I haven't reread this, so any mistakes are totally expected. I hadn't planned this chapter, it just kind of happened, but I think it's a good one. Also, I'm working mad hours right now so I might not get a chapter up next week. Fair warning for you all. Sorry!

“Hey Dad,” Stiles said as he walked downstairs the next morning.

“Hey Kiddo.” His father looked up at him and waved a spoon at the other bowl at the table. “Breakfast?”

“Sure,” Stiles nodded. He went over to the fridge and pulled out some apple juice. When he sat down, his father raised his eyebrows at Stiles. “What?” Stiles asked.

“Your hand,” his father pointed at the wrapped hand in question. “What happened?”

“Oh.” Stiles looked down and shrugged. “Cut it on a piece of glass. Six stitches, it’ll be fine.” He hadn’t intended on his father seeing the bandage, like ever, but he hadn’t gotten enough sleep for the last several days, and that left him exhausted and stupid. He’d have to make up his sleep if he expected to be any use to anyone.

“Six stitches huh? Not a big deal?” The eyebrows were a dangerous weapon his father was wielding at the moment. Stiles flushed and peered up at his father.

“No?” He sighed and leaned back, abandoning the food. He didn’t really feel hungry anymore anyway. “Just come out with it Dad.”

“I just think you’ve been keeping a lot of things from me lately and it’s getting to be a habit.” His father continued to eat as though he was perfectly calm. “I also think that it’s way past time you stopped doing that.”

“Dad,” Stiles drew the word out. “I’m a *teenager*, I’m supposed to keep things from you. It’s expected.”

“Look, kid, I get that you’ve got lots of personal things you want to keep to yourself, but this isn’t personal.” He put down his spoon and pushed his empty bowl away from himself. “This is something that is affecting your well being. I’m in charge of your wellbeing, and I actually care about it. So, when things happen that force you to go to the hospital and get six stitches, I want to know about it. Sound fair?”

Stiles nibbled on his lip as he considered what his father was saying and finally sighed. “Yeah Dad,” he nodded. “Okay, if it involves hospitals and stitches I’ll let you know.” He had wanted his father when he’d gone in to see Mrs. McCall, he’d wanted his father when he’d been curled up in his jeep, but he didn’t know how to not involve his father in the crazy things. This lying to his father about the supernatural shit was getting out of hand.

“Not just hospitals and stitches Stiles!” his father slammed his hand down on the table as his voice raised. “Stiles! You aren’t telling me about a lot of things I don’t approve of.”

His eyes went wide as he looked at his father. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about all the people pushing you around and the ones yelling at you at gas stations. I’m talking about you being out with Derek Hale and him having to stop a woman from slapping your face. Do you think this is just something that you can hide from me? The Sheriff? Do you think I want to hear from my Deputy that she’s seen a lot of crazy shit lately on the camera’s and it all involves my *son*?”

The pounding of Stiles’ heart was so hard, so fast, that Stiles thought maybe Scott would hear it from across the town. How the hell had the Deputy found out? How had… when had… who’s camera’s… One hand clenched on the apple juice container and the other grabbed at his shirt. No, no, no, his father was supposed to be outside of this stupid shit. He wasn’t supposed to know. Stiles had to keep it silent, because it didn’t… it wasn’t….

“Stiles!” his father snapped. “What is going on?!”

“I… nothing -“ but he paused at the look on his father’s face.

“Nothing? You’re really going to try to play that game with me? How long has this been going on? When were you going to tell me Stiles? Or were you going to keep this a secret like you’ve been keeping who the hell knows what else a secret from me these last few years?”

“I… I…” Stiles couldn’t breathe. He stood up and knocked his chair over he did it so fast. What the fuck was wrong with him anyway? “I didn’t want you to worry,” he finally managed to say. “You… you’ve got so much to deal with, and this is just… it’s just stupid.”

“Yeah,” his father nodded. “It is stupid. And it’s stupid you would think I wouldn’t want to know about it.” He stood up as well, and came around to Stiles, prying the apple juice out of Stiles’ hand. “Look,” and his voice was calm, even and controlled now. “I don’t like this. I don’t like that there are a lot of people who seem to have some sort of issue with my son. I don’t know what they’re saying, most of what I’ve seen has all been video, but some of it can be understood. It sounds like it might have something to do with Derek? What’s going on?”

“Fuck,” Stiles whispered and he wrapped his hands around his father and clung onto him. Strong arms wrapped around him and held him close. “I’m sorry Dad,” he mumbled into his father’s shoulder.

“Shh, it’s okay kiddo, just don’t keep me in the dark. I can’t do anything for you if you do that.” One hand ran up and down his back and Stiles closed his eyes and sank into the warmth that was his father.

*

The couch sagged when the two of them were sitting on it, but it was a comfortable sag that allowed them to be close without still holding each other. There was a silence that wasn’t irritating surrounding them as Stiles calmed himself down and admitted defeat. There was no way he was keeping all this from his father.

“How’d she even… I mean…” Stiles glanced over at his father. “It’s not like you guys regularly look at videos from restaurants or anything.”

“It started somewhere simple. The gas station in question was robbed and she was looking the surveillance video’s over when she noticed the old woman getting… Dammit Stiles, she was getting physical with you. I don’t…” But his father trailed off and ran a hand over his face. “After that, she kind of… just kept her eyes out for things. After a while, she noticed it was different people, different things, and brought it all to me. Last night. I wanted… Stiles, I wanted to do a whole lot of things, but it really hurt that you wouldn’t trust me with this.”

“Dad, you’re an elected official,” Stiles began, but his father raised his hand.

“Don’t. Stiles, don’t do that. This isn’t about my job, it’s about my son. What kind of father would I be if I didn’t take care of you? Be honest with me here, okay?”

Stiles held his father’s warm gaze and slumped with a nod. “I know, but I also know how protective you are Dad. I didn’t want you go to crazy and like, I don’t know… shoot people or something.”

“Too much paperwork. I’d just toss them in the jail cells for some stupid charge and let them out in the morning with warnings that if they do it again, so will I.”

There was a level of seriousness that bothered Stiles and he turned to look over at his father. “You didn’t.”

“Maybe one or two,” his father shrugged. “It won’t hurt them.”

“Dad!” Stiles protested. “You can’t!”

“And you can’t keep this stuff from me. Stiles, this is beyond childish. I *need* you to tell me if you’re being assaulted. It shouldn’t even be a question of what I would do.”

“They’re just crazy, kooky people who remember Derek as this sweet boy who used to help them and I’m the manipulative brat who’s convinced him to date me,” Stiles shrugged. “I can handle being the bad guy here, especially when I know that Derek isn’t a sweet boy anymore.”

“Stiles, you aren’t making your case for dating him any better right now,” his dad said as he raised his eyebrows.

“You know what I mean. I mean… he’s an older guy, who’s been through some serious shit, and he’s… I don’t know, matured. He’s not the innocent kid he used to be. That’s all.”

“But it doesn’t mean they have the right to touch you and hurt you with words again and again. As you just said, he’s an older guy, a mature guy, who can make his own decisions on how he wants to live his life, it’s not their business. If they’re worried about him making the wrong choice, they need to take it up with him, not you.” A hand reached out and lightly squeezed Stiles’ shoulder. “You still want to date him?”

“Yes! God, yes Dad. We just… we just had this huge fight and we’ve talked through so much now, and… yes Dad. I still want to date him. Sorry, I guess?” He frowned at his father and shrugged. “I’m kind of attached to him right now.”

“Better not be literally. I have guns Stiles, I know how to use them non lethally.”

“Dad,” Stiles protested, but he was laughing now. “God Dad, Derek is fine.” He leaned into his father and the hand went from his shoulder to around him. “I think, right now, Derek is the only thing I’m fully certain of. I feel like so much more is up in the air and I don’t like it.”

“Stop keeping this town stuff from me Stiles, okay? Promise me and I’ll drop it for now.”

“Fine,” he sighed. “I promise that if it gets past verbal I’ll tell you about it.”

There was a moment of silence before his father spoke again. “That’s the best I’m going to get, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. It really is.”

“Fine. Do you want to talk about Derek?”

“Not really? I think… well… Hey,” Stiles sat up quickly. “Can I run a scenario past you?”

With a shrug, his father nodded. “Sure. Shoot.”

“Two people dating, and one of the two is the leader of a, a gang, let’s say.” This wasn’t going to end well if the narrowing of his father’s eyes were any indication. “Just go with this, okay?” When his father nodded, Stiles went on. “So another, rival, gang comes into town and they say to the leader, I want you to kill off all your members and join our gang. The gang leader says no way, Jose, get someone else. Then they fight and the gang leader’s boyfriend comes in and the new gang is like, oh, I see you have someone you’re with. You talk it over with your partner and get back to us. If you two decide not to go my way I’m going to make you kill them anyway, but talk it over.”

“Stiles, this would never happen in real life,” his father sighed. “For so many reasons.”

“Just let me finish. So the rival goes away, gives them a week to discuss, and when the two who are dating gets some time alone they talk about things. The gang leader says they aren’t going to use their relationship to try to get him and his gang out of the scrape their in, but his partner is like, yes, you should do that. They disagree and nothing gets resolved and in a few days they’re going to have to deal with the rival gang. Do you think they should use their relationship to try to stop the rival gang, or do you think they should just try to kill the rival gang? The rival gang that has better weapons and more firepower than they do.”

“Stiles,” his father shook his head. “This is a no win situation either way.”

“How so?” Stiles asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Well, for one, it sounds like the rival gang doesn’t even care if they are in a relationship, they just were giving them a respectful moment to decide how they were going to play the game. For another, if they have better firepower and such, then it’s a losing battle either way.”

“So you think they should just give up and do what the rival gang wants?” Stiles asked with a huff.

“No, I didn’t say that. I just think they need to find another way of dealing with the rival gang. Even guns and firepower have weaknesses, so do people. Find out more about the rival gang, what makes them tick, what things are important to them. Under everything else, they’re human, with human weaknesses. Prey on that. Don’t play fair if it’s a gang situation.”

Stiles eyes went wide. They were people, of course they were people, and even people who want power want it for a reason. “Dad, you’re a genius!” he breathed.

“If you tell me now that Derek is a gang leader, I’m calling off this relationship right here and now,” his father warned, and Stiles laughed.

“Of course he isn’t Dad,” he rolled his eyes. “Derek wouldn’t dare be a gang leader. Too much work.” Gangs were human, Derek would accidentally kill them all in a week, tops. “I’ve got to go though,” he said as he stood up. “Call to make.”

“Stiles,” his father said with another warning tone and Stiles paused to look at him.

“Yeah Dad?”

“We’re going to have these conversations again and again until you start trusting me with the truth again. I won’t forget about your six stitches or about Mrs. Sherman or about anything else going on around here. You understand me?”

“Yeah.” Stiles gave his father a smile. He felt a lot better for some reason, maybe because he knew that his father was there to talk to if he needed to. Or maybe it was just that he’d been keeping all the town’s misbehavior to himself for so long that telling someone was a huge relief. Whatever, it was a good feeling. Plus, he had an idea.

“Good. I’ve got to get to work anyway. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Have a good day. Love you Dad.” Stiles gave his father another quick hug, which his father returned.

“Love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Okay! Poll time! How many of you think the Sheriff HAS put people in the jail cells? How many of you think the Sheriff SHOULD have done so? Lemme know, I can go either way on this one and your comments will help me make a decision. :D


End file.
